Brook Lopez

Lopez has been the lone, steady constant through what's already been a difficult rebuilding stretch for the Nets organization. One of only two players who was on the roster two years ago (Bojan Bogdanovic is the other), Lopez is coming off of arguably his best all-around sea...

Lopez agreed to a three-year, $60 million with the Nets this offseason. He'll continue to plug up the paint on defense and work everywhere within the arc again this season. While Lopez has the distinction of being a scary player to draft because of his potential injury risk, there's reason to be optimistic about his health and production going forward. Other than the two seasons that Lopez was sidelined due to foot surgery, he's been relatively durable. He played in all 82 games in his first three seasons in the league, and in his other two non-injury seasons, he played in 74 and 72 games. Missing 8-10 games isn't ideal, but the fact that Lopez has played, essentially, two healthy seasons following the repair of his broken feet is promising in some respects. He played in 72 games last season but only started 44 of them. In those 44 starts, Lopez averaged 18.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.8 blocks in 32 minutes per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line. If he's healthy, Lopez could end up being a good value in drafts this season.

2014-15

For the second time in three years, Lopez's season was cut short by an injury. Seventeen games into the 2013-14 campaign, he went down with broken foot that cost him the remainder of the season. Just two years prior, Lopez suffered a stress fracture and missed 77 games. While the 26-year-old's durability is a huge concern at this point, he's been among the league's most productive big men when healthy. Prior to the injury last season, Lopez was averaging 20.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 56 percent from the field and a career-best 82 percent at the free-throw line. While his rebounding numbers have been the subject of scrutiny throughout his career, Lopez's efficiency on the offensive end compensates for the deficit. He's arguably the top offensive center in the league and is one of only a handful of players with a complete low-post, back-to-the-basket game. Again, health will be the factor that dictates his value, but if Lopez can avoid another devastating injury, he'll be one of the most productive fantasy centers in nearly any format.

2013-14

After losing nearly the entire 2011-12 season to injury, there were plenty of question marks surrounding Lopez heading into last season. Not only was Lopez able to return and stay healthy last year, but he was able to revert back to his pre-injury productive ways. Lopez re-established himself as the Nets' primary option in the post, pouring in 19.4 points per game while shooting a very efficient 52 from the field and 76 percent from the free-throw line. He also showed improvements on the defensive end of the court, blocking a career-high 2.1 shots per tilt. While his rebounding didn't return to the levels we saw in his first two seasons, Lopez was able to post respectable numbers on the glass by pulling down 6.9 boards each night. One note of concern, though, is that Lopez needed a screw replaced in his surgically repaired foot this offseason. Early indication is he'll be ready for the start of the season, but prospective owners should double-check his status before draft day. He's one of the most gifted offensive big men in the game, and the Nets figure to use him as the primary option on the block again this season. As long as his foot injury doesn't resurface during the season, Lopez will be a solid source of all-around production.

2012-13

The 2011-12 season was lost for Lopez, who suffered a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during preseason play. He came back briefly from the injury in February, appearing in five games before suffering an ankle injury that led to him being shut down for the remainder of the season. In his five-game stint, Lopez showed some of the offensive promise weíve seen from him in the past, including a 38-point outburst against the Mavericks on Feb. 28. He ended his brief campaign with averages of 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.8 blocks in 27 minutes per game. Itís difficult to take much away from five games, but it is troublesome that Lopezís rebounding dropped from an already pedestrian 6.0 in 2010-11 to 3.6 boards per night. All signs point to Lopez being healthy for the start of the season, which would be a huge first step in his progress back toward helping out fantasy squads. The Nets overhauled their roster this offseason, including the trade for Joe Johnson, so itíll be interesting to see where Lopez fits in the pecking order for touches on offense. That said, the team did commit $61-million to Lopez this summer, and Brooklyn doesnít have much depth in the frontcourt, which should lead to plenty of opportunities in the low post for the Stanford product.

2011-12

Lopez continued to show signs that heís developing into one of the best low-post presences in the league during the 2010-11 season. He finished his third year with a career-high 20.4 scoring average while hitting 49.2 percent of his shots from the floor and 78.7 from the charity stripe. He also remained productive on the defensive side of the ball, swatting 1.5 shots per game. But Lopez regressed in rebounding. After averaging 8.1 or more boards in each of his first two seasons, Lopez only pulled down 6.0 rebounds per night last year, which is inexcusable for a seven-footer with his skills. Lopez underwent offseason surgery to remove a calcium deposit in his right upper arm, but heís expected to be back to full strength this season. He hasnít missed a game throughout his professional career, and this injury isnít expected to linger, so owners shouldnít be too worried about Lopezís health going forward. With Deron Williams now running the show in New Jersey, Lopez has one of the better floor generals in the league. Assuming Nets coach Avery Johnson can solve the mystery of Lopezís vanishing rebounding skills, and with Williams helping push the young big man to another level offensively, Lopez should continue maturing into an All-Star-caliber pivot.

2010-11

Lopez followed up his impressive rookie campaign with an even better sophomore season last year, and he enters 2010-11 as a truly elite fantasy player. He averaged the most points per game (18.8) among all centers in the NBA, and it's hard to fault any part of his game. For someone 7-0, 265, he could improve on the boards (he averaged 8.7 rpg last season), but he's a decent passer, blocks shots, and only Dwight Howard and Nene Hilario averaged more steals per game among centers than Lopez (0.7 spg) last year. The big key to Lopez's fantasy value is his excellent free throw shooting, as he shot 81.7 percent from the line last season while attempting 6.2 freebies per game. It's an area where almost all other bigs in the NBA struggle mightily, so this is a huge advantage. At age 22, Lopez will continue to get better, and he's yet to miss a single game so far since joining the NBA. He'll enter 2010-11 as quite possibly the most important player on the Nets' roster.

2009-10

Lopez entered his rookie campaign with little fantasy hype, but ended up the highest-ranking freshman. The seven-footer played all 82 games for the Nets, starting at center for 75 of those contests. He led all rookies in blocks (1.8) and field-goal percentage (53.1) while finishing second in rebounds (8.1) and sixth in points (13.0). He also shot 79.3 percent from the free throw line, a rarity from a seven-foot rookie. The Nets are in full-fledged rebuilding mode, shipping Vince Carter out of town in the offseason and leaving the duo of Lopez and point guard Devin Harris as the two centerpieces of the franchise. Last season, Lopez only attempted 10.3 field goals per game while the Nets ran few post-up sets. While Harris will continue to run the show, Lopez will camp out on the block, and as the Netsí only legitimate scorer in the post, he should hear his number called more often. While possessing several polished post moves, Lopez still lacks a go-to move and often relies on a jump hook that is unrefined. But at 21, heís young and will continue to develop his offensive repertoire. And even if his offensive game develops slowly, Lopez will continue to rebound, post solid percentages and block shots at a clip that places him in the upper-echelon of centers.

2008-09

Lopez has a very nice drop-step from the right block as he showed in the NCAA tournament, but he is very awkward when defenses try to take away that move. He struggles with connecting counter-moves, but he can step out and hit the 8 to 10-foot jumper as well. He has a strong base and a great frame to build on, but he has clumsy hands and many times allows rebounds to slip through his fingers. He's not an active defender and doesn't rebound very well outside his area. Boone is a much more rugged player and should limit Lopez's minutes against bigger front lines.

2007-08

Lopez has a very nice drop-step from the right block as he showed in the NCAA tournament, but he is very awkward when defenses try to take away that move. He struggles with connecting counter-moves, but he can step out and hit the 8 to 10-foot jumper as well. He has a strong base and a great frame to build on, but he has clumsy hands and many times allows rebounds to slip through his fingers. He's not an active defender and doesn't rebound very well outside his area. Boone is a much more rugged player and should limit Lopez's minutes against bigger front lines.